Latent heat storage system for use in a vehicle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a latent heat storage system for use on the cooling-water circuit of a vehicle combustion engine, whereby a motor-driven rotary pump is secured either at the edge of the storage system housing or inside said housing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is the US national phase of PCT application PCT/EP97/04646 filedJul. 31, 1997.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

It is known to put in the coolant-circulation system of a motor-vehicleinternal-combustion engine a cooler, a heater/air-conditioner, and alatent-heat storage device. The coolant is 5 circulated by a pump andthe motor, cooler, heater, and latent-heat storage device form in theengine compartment of the motor vehicle along with the pump for thecoolant system separate units that must be mounted one after the otherin the engine compartment.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to simplify the manufacture,installation, and repair, in particular also the exchange of the parts,of a coolant system and to make them less expensive while also savingspace.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is achieved according to the invention in that amotor-driven centrifugal pump is mounted in or on the Latent-heatstorage unit.

Thus the latent-heat storage unit and the pump form a single modulewhich substantially simplifies its manufacture and installation. Inaddition repairs are made easier and less space is needed in the enginecompartment.

It is particularly advantageous when the pump is mounted on an end ofthe latent-heat storage unit. It is also from the point of view ofmanufacture and saving of space advantageous when a side of the pumphousing turned away from the motor has a planar connecting face withinput and output ports and serves for mounting the pump on thelatent-heat storage unit or an intermediate device. A disk forming anintermediate device can be mounted between the connecting face and thepump and/or the latent-heat storage unit and has a hydraulic distributorand/or a valve (in particular a three-way valve).

A particularly advantage use of the pump is achieved when the pump is atubular pump whose rotor is axially traversed by coolant. The electricmotor of the pump can have a magnetic rotor so that the pump takes upvery little space and can be mounted on the adjacent devices like adisk.

Further integration and reduction of space is achieved when an end ofthe pump and/or of the latent-heat storage unit carries a housing of theintermediate device that holds electronic control parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

An embodiment of the invention is shown in exploded perspective view inthe drawing and is described more closely in the following.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

An in particular cylindrical latent-heat storage unit 1 is connected ina coolant-water circuit of a motor-vehicle internal-combustion enginedirectly on the end or via an intermediate assembly to a motor pump, inparticular a canned-motor pump 2. The intermediate assembly can be anelectronic DEVICE 4 or hydraulic device 3. Here the latent-heat storageunit 1, motor pump 2, and possible intermediate assemblies 3 and 4 forma single module that can be mounted inside another module through whichthe coolant is circulated.

The motor pump 2 is either a tubular pump or a canned-motor pump whosehousing has turned away from the electric motor a planar connecting facewith input and output ports. This connecting face is used to secure thepump to the latent-heat storage unit 1.

It is possible to connect between the motor pump 2 and the latent-heatstorage unit 1 a disk-shaped hydraulic manifold and/or a valve 3, inparticular a three-way valve, that is operated by an electroniccontroller 4. The controller 4 is inside a housing that has theelectronic elements for controlling the pump 2 and/or the heat-storageunit 1 and is mounted on the end of the motor pump 2 and/or of thelatent-heat storage unit 1.

In accordance with further alternatives, the motor of the motor pump 5can have a magnetic rotor so that the motor pump is particularly shortaxially. In addition the devices 3 and 4 can be mounted on the end ofthe latent-heat storage unit 1 which is opposite to the pump 2. The pump2 can also be a tubular pump.

What is claimed is:
 1. A latent-heat storage unit for the coolant-watersystem of a motor-vehicle internal-combustion engine comprising a motor;and a centrifugal pump driven by the motor and having a housing with aside turned away from the motor and having a planar connecting faceprovided with input and output ports and by which the pump is mounted onthe latent-heat storage unit.
 2. The latent-heat storage unit accordingto claim 1 wherein the latent-heat storage unit and the pump form asingle module.
 3. The latent-heat storage unit according to claim 1wherein the pump is mounted on an end of the latent-heat storage unit.4. The latent-heat storage unit according to claim 1, further comprisinga disk forming an intermediate device and mounted between the connectingface and the latent-heat storage unit and having a hydraulic device. 5.The latent-heat storage unit according to claim 1 wherein the pump is acanned-motor pump.
 6. The latent-heat storage unit according to claim 1wherein the pump is a tubular pump having a rotor axially traversed bycoolant.
 7. The latent-heat storage unit according to claim 1 whereinthe motor of the pump has a magnetic rotor.
 8. The latent-heat storageunit according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate devicebetween an end of the pump and the latent-heat storage unit and having ahousing that holds electronic control parts.